Black Fang and Moondancer
by stormyskydancer
Summary: Fostered by Kodlak Whitemane, a young girl grows up amidst the Companions. She calls Jorrvaskr her new home, she knows Whiterun like her vest pocket, and she calls a pair of brothers her closest friends. How will her life change in the future and will she be able to fight not just for her homeland, but also for her true love? definitely rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

The rain pattered against the windows and the wind steadily rattled the shutters while the cold slowly spread in the house. The silence was almost as terrible as what had actually happened on this early Sundas evening on the 13th of Rain's Hand.

With big, fearful eyes Mia was lying on the hardwood floor in her room on the top floor of the house. The eyes of her mother staring right back at her. And yet, the once so warm and loving eyes looked into nothingness while the puddle of blood turned darker with each passing minute. Heavy footsteps could be heard downstairs, hushed voices reached her ears, and Mia was certain the men who had killed her father and her mother were still inside the house. She covered her mouth, trying to stiffle the sound of her breathing while tears rolled down her cheeks and made everything around her appear blurry. A pair of ironclad boots suddenly appeared in her line of sight. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to clear her vision once more.

"I suppose this is the wife. May she find peace in Sovngarde."

The voice was deep and soft, and so very different to the voice of the bandit that had killed Milena and Jaaron Honey-Dew. A second pair of boots appeared next to the other. The person knelt down next to Milena's dead body and picked something up from the bloody ground. Mia looked closely and saw that this was one of her dolls.

"They had a child. Do you think it is still inside the house?" This voice was definitely female. Mia tried to remember if any of the attackers had been women, but she honestly couldn't remember it.

"Either that-or they took the child with them. For whatever disgusting reason."

"Everything is clear downstairs. No sign of a child anywhere,"the woman said. "I checked every corner."

For a moment there was nothing but silence again as the two of them seemed to contemplate their next move. That was when suddenly the ironclad boots stepped closer towards the bed. Mia's heart raced rapidly in her chest as if trying to break free. She slowly inched further back until her feet hit the wall. There was no way to escape out of this situation. She had to face it. She had to face the same fate like her parents had. Her eyes grew bigger even more with fear as the face of an elderly man suddenly appeared, looking back at her with a comforting smile.

"There you are."

She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut, pretending that if she couldn't see him he couldn't see her, too. She was barely six years old. She didn't know it any better.

"I won't hurt you, little one. We are here to help. Come, I promise nothing will happen to you."

She opened her eyes again and saw he offered her his hand. She blinked at him, uncertain if she should trust him. Then again, she had no other options. Slowy, ever so slowly, she reached forward and let him take her small hand in his calloused one. He helped her crawl out from under the bed. Once she was back on her feet again she pulled her hand away from his and stepped back. Her short, blonde hair was disheveled. Her mossy green eyes darted between the elderly man, the young brunette woman, and the body of her dead mother.

"My name is Kodlak Whitemane. This is Aela. We are with the Companions. What is your name, little one?"

Again, there was this comforting smile on his lips. He looked almost grandfather-ish to her. Somehow, it made her relax more quickly and she realized that these really were no bandits or evil people at all. If they'd be, she might already be dead or taken as their prisoner. Instead, both of them looked at her with such warmth and compassion.

"Mia. Mia Honey-Dew" she mumbled and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm cold."

Aela quickly went to the wardrobe and checked for a blanket or a warm piece of clothing. She found a bearpelt jacket and helped Mia put it on. "She cannot stay here on her own," she then said to Kodlak.

He nodded thoughtfully. "We will bury the bodies and take her to Jorrvaskr. She needs to recover from what she had witnessed today. The orphanage would only damage her even more." Then he turned back to look at Mia. "You understand that you cannot stay here any longer?"

She nodded silently.

Kodlak offered her his hand again. "Aela will pack your belongings. Come, we'll go outside. You need some fresh air."

Uncertainly, she took his hand again and let him lead her downstairs where two other men stood by the dead body of her father. Kodlak tried to shield her vision a bit while he signaled them with a motion of his hand to take care of the bodies. "We will meet again back home,"he said to them before they left her house and stepped outside into the cold evening air. It was still drizzling, yet the cool water felt good on her skin.

"Where do we go?" she asked as they wandered away from the house and further along the road that would lead them into the nearest city - Riften - where Kodlak planned to hire a cart to take them back to Whiterun since he was certain the little girl wouldn't be able to take the long way by foot.

"Me and my Companions live in Whiterun. It is a rather long way to walk hence why I will hire a cart in Riften to take us back home."

"Will I ever see my parents again?" she mumbled quietly.

He looked down at her and smiled gently. "They will wait for you in Sovngarde. Many, many years from today you will reunite with them. Until then, the halls of Jorrvaskr will be open to you. No matter where your feet will carry you in a few years, I promise that the Companions will always welcome you back whenever you decide to."

"What are the Companions?"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair a little. "We are the good people. That is all you need to know for now. Once you have settled and found some peace in your heart again, I will explain it to you. For now, all you need to know is that we are like a big family of warriors."

She remained silent until they reached the stables of Riften. Kodlak paid the driver and lifted her up onto the cart before he climbed up as well. It didn't take long, the carriage had just moved for maybe half an hour by then, that the events of the day and the weather and the sorrow took its toll on her and Mia fell asleep. Her head rested onto Kodlak's lap he looked down at her and smiled lightly.

"I'll take care of you, little one. I promise you that."

* * *

 **So, this is just a first little introduction to the character and her backstory. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please leave a review. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thank you all so much for the lovely reviews and, of course, for all the favs and follows so far. I am happy to see that you enjoyed the first little intro chapter so much and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story, too. I know, updates are coming a bit slow recently ... life gets in the way a lot at the moment and I am still working on my own real novel which is quite time consuming, too.**

 **If you do I always appreciate reviews and PMs. :)**

* * *

Her skin glistened from sweat as she stood panting lightly with her grip tightly around the hilt of her sword. It was early morning and the sun just peeked over the mountaintops. Yet, Mia hadn't found much sleep in the night and so she had decided to continue with her sword practise before anyone of her family would be awake.

"You're up already?"

She turned and smiled as Farkas left Jorrvaskr and strolled over towards her on the training yard in the back of the big, upside down viking-style building that she called her home for almost ten years now. Her sixteenth birthday was up ahead in two days and she was quite excited since Vilkas and Farkas had promised to take her on her first hunt with them once she'd turn sixteen. The two brothers had treated her like their own little sister ever since Kodlak, Aela and the two of them had rescued her out of her looted home after her parents had been killed on that fateful night. Sometimes she still had nightmares of the men that had broken down their door and slit her father's throat and impaled her mothers chest with a sword. She wondered if she might be able to forget the look of her dead mother's eyes ever in her life.

"The early bird gets the worm,"she said and straightened a little. "And I still have to learn a bit before we head out into the wild in a couple of days."

"Oh, right, it is your birthday in two days. I nearly forgot."he grinned at her cheekily.

She punched his arm lightly and chuckled. "You're such a tease! Will you tell me what you're up to on my first trip into the wild?"

"Nah, it's a surprise."

"Oh, come on, please! You're my big brother! The best I can wish for!" she said with a sweet smile.

"Sorry, but that won't work on me this time,"he chuckled and sat down on one of the chairs on the patio. He grinned as he saw her pouting at him with arms crossed in front of her chest. "Don't give me that look, Mia."

"Why? Does it work?"she chuckled.

"Mia, let him be. He won't tell you a thing," Vilkas' voice suddenly reached her ears as he stepped outside, his heavy armor glinting lightly in the morning sun. "And besides that...you're holding that sword wrong."

She looked down at the sword in her hand. "Well, right now I am not fighting."

"I'm not talking about right now. I'm talking about earlier when you used it."

She huffed. "Oh please, you were asleep when I left. You couldn't have seen me."

He cocked an eyebrow. "If you say so."

They looked at each other challengingly until she groaned frustrated. "Fine, yes. Maybe my grip isn't perfect yet. I am still able to use it. See?" she shifted and lifted the sword.

Farkas chuckled as he saw Vilkas rolling his eyes a little. He walked up to her. "What kind of sword is that?"

She looked up at Vilkas. "A...steel sword?"

"Made for?"

"Fighting?"

He sighed. "How many hands?"

"Well...one..."

Farkas chuckled in the background while he took a bite from a piece of cheese and bread. She looked past Vilkas at him and back at Vilkas who now had a very faint grin on his lips as well. "Then...tell me...why do you hold it with two hands?"

She looked down at her hands, both clasping the hilt of the sword. "It's easier to swing,"she admitted.

"If you prefer to fight with both hands you should take a proper sword,"he unsheathed his longsword from his back and offered it to her. "Here...try hold this."

"Are you serious? You offer me your sword? That holy possession of yours?"she said surprised as she placed her sword away.

"Just to test your ability to hold a sword like that. I might tell Eorlund to craft your own, personal longsword then. Go on...take it."

Carefully she reached for it and lifted it with both hands quite unsteadily. "It's way too heavy,"she grunted lightly and handed it back. Vilkas nodded and sheathed it onto his back again.

"That's why you should get your own sword. We should talk to Eorlund later. Farkas,"he turned to his brother, "We have work to do."

"We do?"

"Yes...we do..."he said and made a quick gesture with his head towards Mia.

"Oh...oh right, _that_ work. I'm ready if you are."Farkas said and got up.

Mia looked from one to the other. "You're hiding something! Tell me!"

The brothers chuckled and each placed a kiss on her cheeks before they wandered around the building, probably down to the Plains district. For a split second Mia thought about following them but decided against it and kept practising for a couple of hours. Soon, the heat was too unbearable and so she retreated back inside, washed herself and laid down for a nap.

* * *

 _"Get down!"_

 _Once again she felt the blazing heat of the fire raining down to the ground. Mia couldn't say how many hadn't made it this time, but she expected the worst._

 _The acrid smell of burning flesh stung in her nose like every so often in the past weeks. The victims could no longer be counted on the fingers of one hand, and she didn't even try anymore. Too many had been her friends. And too many had been children. That bothered her the most. Those children were the future of Skyrim. And too many had burnt to death._

 _Thick, black smoke made it hard for her to see anything and took her breath away. But she wouldn't give up. The wind carried the desperate cries of the survivors over to her. She turned her gaze skyward, her back still pressed against the red rock. For a heartbeat, she remained in this position before she hurried down the main street. Dust swirled beneath her boots and the blood roared in her ears. She had to make it. The flames began to spread. Roof beams broke and cut the escape routes of the people._

 _"Dovahkiin! Help us!"_

 _On the first floor of the small bakery shop at the end of the street, she saw them. Aleela and her two little children. The son and the daughter – Nawaar and Taamira – were twins and just five years old. They wept bitterly while Aleela desperately tried to cover their mouths and noses. The wood of the roof began to growl perilously. It was only a matter of a few minutes until it would collapse and bury the small Breton family._

 _"Hold on!" cried Mia as she stopped outside the store. Through the open door, she could see that even the ground floor had caught fire which began to block the stairs. Desperately, she turned around in a circle, running one hand through her long, blonde hair. A violent coughing fit took over her body for a moment. She tied her scarf tighter around her nose and mouth._

 _"Nawaar! Nawaar, don't fall asleep! Stay with me!"_

 _Aleela's tearful voice reached her ears, and she made a decision she knew could mean her certain death. But she would rather die trying to help this mother and her children than caring for her own life. She fixated the stairs and ran. Her eyes watered terribly the closer she got to the fire, but still the flames were not thick enough. She could make it. She had to. She sped up and jumped. She felt the heat on her skin and the pain in her leg as she bumped against the edge of a step._

 _But she had made it. She had left the flames behind. Her pants were singed, but she didn't care. Hastily, she ran up the stairs and broke through the door._

 _"Aleela! Everything will be fine! Let's go!"_

 _She ran to her and picked Taamira up on her arm. The little girl sobbed and clung to her._

 _"Nawaar—he is unconscious. He dies! My son dies," Aleela sobbed._

 _"Listen to me. He's not going to die. But we need to hurry now. The roof will not hold for long," she looked over to the window. There was no way they could take the stairs for the fire was surely much thicker by now and she couldn't ask her to jump through it with her children. There was only one way out._

 _"We have to jump!"_

 _She stared at her with her big brown eyes. "Jump? It is far too high! Then we can also stay here and die!"_

 _"Aleela! You will not give up. Give me Nawaar. I will jump first to rescue the children. Then you follow us. I will catch you. I promise!"_

 _"But—"_

 _"Don't you want to say one day that you did everything in your power to save your children? You can seal their fate here or you can trust me. We will make it!"_

 _She nodded and handed her her unconscious son. "Take care of them, if I won't make it"she whispered after she pressed a kiss on Nawaar's and Taamira's foreheads._

 _"You will do that yourself once we are out of here and in safety."_

 _She climbed on the windowsill, the children pressed tightly against her chest. Aleela stepped closer and touched her cheek. She smiled at her reassuringly and jumped. She landed hard on the ground and scraped her arms open. She felt Taamira's movements and also Nawaar seemed to have regained consciousness._

 _Mia sat up, the children pressed their heads against her chest._

 _"You have to be very brave now,"she hastily carried them to the shade of an awning and put them down. "I have to go and save your mommy now. Stay here and don't move. Understood?"_

 _They nodded and stared at her with their round brown eyes. She stroked over their heads, their dark hair sticky with sweat. As she turned towards the bakery again, she saw Aleela climbing onto the windowsill._

 _She hurried over and positioned herself directly under the window. She opened her arms, ready to catch her. But suddenly, everything happened rapidly fast. Her heartbeat stopped for a moment as she heard the sound of giant wings above her. Her gaze wandered towards the sky and before she had realized what was happening, another stream of fire hit the building._

 _The woman who had been just ready to put her life into her hands went up in flames within seconds. A bloodcurdling scream escaped her as the fire began to gnaw her skin. She toppled forward and fell. But Mia knew she was already dead before she hit ground in front of her._

 _Her lifeless eyes looked up at her while she was desperately trying to beat out the flames with her bare hands. She was aware that it wouldn't change anything. The village was lost. Those could have saved themselves had already done so._

 _And the beast had moved on after its last attack. She felt two small hands that gently took hers. And all that remained was the quiet, tearful voice of a little girl._

 _"Mommy?"_

* * *

Mia woke up with a gasp as a strong, yet gentle hand shook her. She blinked and looked up at Vilkas. She propped up onto her elbows and sighed.

"Vilkas? How late is it?"

"Barely three I suppose,"he said and watched her concerned. "Are you alright? You look troubled? Another nightmare again?"

She sat up and grabbed a goblet of water from her nightstand and gulped it down before she nodded slowly. "But...it was different. Normally, I dream of the night when my parents died. This time it was...I was different. Something about me. Someone called me but not by name. I just can't remember the word. What I remember is that I failed to protect a mother from...flames. Flames of a dragon."

Vilkas sat down beside her and placed his arm around her shoulder. "Dreams are just dreams and never real. You can clearly see that with your dragon. There are no dragons in Skyrim anymore. You won't fail anyone and you won't have to fight a dragon."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I know. Thank you for being such a good friend...brother."

He smiled and pressed his lips on top of her head and stroked gently over the back of it. "I will always be there for you. And now...I think it is time."

She looked up with an excited gleam in her eyes and a big smile spreak on her face. "Time for what?"

He winked at her and leaned in closer, whispering into her ear. And the smile on her face grew bigger and bigger.

* * *

 **So...Mia had a dream. Or was it a vision? Who knows? :D**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Can't believe your eyes? Well, believe it or not...another chapter so soon again :D Your lovely reviews and encouraging words really helped me a lot for my inspiration and here we go. ;) The sparring scene in this chapter was inspired by Arya and Syrio Forel from "Game of Thrones". I hope you like it.**

 **Once again, I encourage you to leave a review if you enjoy my story. I will get back to you via PM then :)**

* * *

She took two steps at a time as she and Vilkas made their way up to the Skyforge. The huge stone eagle stood proud and silent like it did for many, many centuries. The legends told that this forge existed even before Whiterun had been founded. The eagle spread its wings almost protectively over the hot fire of the forge that had crafted many of the most famous weapons in Skyrim and even beyond.

Mia remembered her first day at Jorrvaskr like it was yesterday. The stone eagle fascinated her ever since and she had often dreamed of her own weapon forged in those ancient flames. And today, almost ten years after her arrival in Whiterun, she'd be able to speak with Eorlund about exactly that. Her own sword.

"Now, if that isn't the to-be birthday girl,"the elderly blacksmith said with a soft smile as he spotted the two of them. "Vilkas already spoke to me earlier today and it just so happens that your gift is nearly finished. The steel just needs to cool down."

She looked surprised. "Wait...you already crafted a sword for me? I thought I have to tell you what I want and..."

"Vilkas gave me the details and he was more than certain that you'll like it." Eorlund said amused and went to fetch the sword for her.

"I'm so excited,"she said and looked up at Vilkas. "How did you know what kind of sword I want?"

"I think I know you well enough by now,"he replied with a grin. "There it is." He motioned towards Eorlund carrying a greatsword. He stopped in front of her to present it to her.

Mia's eyes grew wide as she inspected the sword. A long, thin blade of steel was held by a grip wrapped in extravagant, ruby red boar hide. Double-edged and razor sharp it glinted in the sun. The blade had a thin, warped cross-guard, just large enough to protect the owner's hands. The pommel was decorated with precious gems, a fine detail which prove how carefully this weapon was crafted. The blade itself was adorned by engraved swan-like wings.

"Do you like it?" Vilkas asked carefully as she made no attempt to take it.

She looked up at him again with a smile, tears were glinting in her eyes as she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck, showering his face with kisses. "Thank you so, so much! It's beautiful. It's the greatest gift one could have made to me. Even better than going on my first mission soon. Thank you, brother."

She let go of him and turned towards Eorlund once more. Her hands were shaking ever so lightly as she reached for it and carefully lifted it up with ease. It took her a little by surprise how easy it was for her to lift it. It was light-weight yet she could feel with good practise this would be a deadly weapon. The two men watched her - Eorlund rather amused, Vilkas quite proudly - as she swung it a little.

"Oh, I nearly forgot to give you this,"Eorlund hurried to the work bench and fetched a wooden scabbard wrapped with the same red boar hide as the grip of her sword. "A good sword needs a good scabbard, right?" he chuckled. Vilkas took the scabbard and helped her strapping it over her shoulder and back.

"You should try if you can put it into the scabbard with one hand now." Vilkas stepped back.

She straightened and inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Alright..."she mumbled, loosened the grip a bit and lifted the sword over her head backwards. For a split second Vilkas feared she might tremble too much and stab herself in the head but much to his relief she managed to put it into the scabbard without any accident. She squealed and smiled brightly at him.

"I am the happiest girl in the world,"she giggled. "Now you have to practise with me."

He laughed. "Tomorrow we will practise from dawn to dusk."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She thanked Eorlund for the blade too and followed Vilkas back down to Jorrvaskr. "Why can't you train with me today?"

"Because the sun is already setting and I still have work to do. Oh, do you have a name yet? For your sword?"

She shook her head thoughtfully. "No, I'm not very creative when it comes to naming things."

"You know...I had a name on mind when I told Eorlund to engrave the blade with those swan wings. I know you like swans and somehow...well, and you turned from a sad, little duckling to a cheerful, pretty swan yourself..."

She blushed lightly. "Oh please..."

"No, seriously. I thought this blade should have a name that fits you. What would you say to _Swan Song_?"

Mia blinked surprised. "Swan Song?"she tasted that name on her tongue for a moment. Then she smiled. "It sounds beautiful."

"Compared to many other swords in Skyrim such as Dawnbreaker, Windshear, Chillrend or Red Eagle's Fury...those names immediately strike fear in the heart of people. They hear those names and immediately know those are dangerous weapons. But Swan Song? They will hear it and think to themselves that a sword with such an innocent, sweet name might never be used to kill. Until they feel its sharp blade piercing their skin, right?" he explained with a wink.

She chuckled softly. "I like the way you're thinking. And I like the name,"she reached behind and unsheathed her sword again to examine it once more. "Swan Song it is then."

* * *

Vilkas circled her slowly, the grip around the hilt of his sword was tight. The day was still dawning and yet Mia and he were outside in the training already.

"Now, you will try and strike me."he said.

Mia inhaled deeply and stepped closer, bringing her sword down, yet he was quick enough and stepped out of the way. They turned and faced each other again. A challenging grin showed up on his face as he raised his sword again to point at her. She looked back at him for a moment before she swung at him again, their swords clashed for a couple of times. Suddenly, he whirled around and disarmed her. She grumbled quietly and picked up her sword once more.

She saw that he was facing her with his back. She used that opportunity but he quickly turned and deflected her blow.

"Number one rule...never attack from behind. In a fair fight."

He disarmed her again with a powerful, swift move of his sword. He reached down and picked up Swan Song. He weighed it in his hand for a second and handed it back.

"I'm sorry..."she said. "I would never stab someone in the back. Unless it's inevitable..."

"Indeed. Only if there is no other way to win the fight."

She nodded and suddenly charged at him again and swung her sword but he blocked it and touched her leg with the tip of his longsword.

"Now...you'd be dead."

She turned sideways and raised her sword again, but once more he blocked it and touched her stomach. "Dead again."

She grumbled and their swords clashed in midair again and again for a moment. Suddenly he reached for her arm and pulled her close enough so the tip of his sword pointed at her face just mere inches from it. "And now...you'd be very dead,"he breathed with a light grin and Mia couldn't prevent the soft laugh leaving her throat.

He stepped away from her and they continued their sparring for a couple of hours. She was quite out of breath, but she gave him a hard thrashing anyway. As hard as she was able to, of course. Just as Vilkas was about to disarm her again, she took her chance. He whirled around and tried to hit her sword again when suddenly she grabbed his arm and tripped him. Vilkas stumbled and dropped his sword. What Mia hadn't expected though was that he would pull her down with him; as he hit the ground she squeaked and was pulled down on top of him. The laughed while both tried to catch their breath again. She clung to his shoulders and buried her face in his chest.

"I-I think I won,"she chuckled and looked at him.

"Oh yes, tripping and falling on top of your opponent counts as winning. Totally." He said amused and started tickling her. She squeaked and laughed and tried to get away from him. They rolled over the ground for a moment until she had him pinned down again.

"Say what you want...but I will win _this_ kind of fight." She grinned, leaned down and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. She got up and sheathed her sword onto her back again. "And I think I am ready for my first mission on the morrow."

He got up as well and sheathed his sword, too. "Right. You should speak with Kodlak. He received a message from someone seeking out our help. He will explain it to you and we will leave on the morrow right before sunrise."

She nodded and hurried inside. First stop was her room where she changed her sweaty clothes and placed her sword neatly on the weapon rack in her room. Then she knocked at the wooden double door at the end of the living quarter hallway.

"Just come in, my dear."

It always amazed her how Kodlak could tell by the sheer sound of her knocking that it was her and not one of the others. She entered his room and hugged him tightly. Kodlak was sitting on a chair at the wooden table which was laden with a plate of honey-nut treats, a jug of apple juice and a bottle of mead. Mia sat down on the free chair and snatched a treat from the plate and grinned at Kodlak.

"You look happy."he observed.

"What gave me away?"she said amused. "But yes, I _am_ happy. Look what Vilkas got me,"she unsheathed her sword and presented it to Kodlak. He examined it.

"This is a very unique design. Does it have a name yet?"

"Yes. Swan Song. Vilkas picked it."

Kodlak nodded and watched her with a tiny grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Vilkas did, huh?"

"Yup. He also said that you received a message from someone we are about to help. Can I see the letter?" she asked curiously and leaned her sword against the wall.

The elder reached into his pocket and revealed a piece of parchment. "Read it carefully and tell me what you think."

She took it and unfolded it. Then she read out loud, "Please, whoever finds this note. I think I am lost. No, I know I am lost. Nothing looks familiar here and I mean at all. Oh, I should've never left our camp. I know our camp is near Lake Geir and we came into the forest from the North. But I have no idea where north is anymore. Please, you've got to help me. Help me find my way back to camp. I don't want to be in the forest anymore. It's scary. I want to go home."

Mia lowered the letter and looked at Kodlak. "That sounds awful. You can even sense the fear in the writing."

"Indeed. Now, there is one question I need to ask you. Do you feel comfortable to take this as your first mission for the Companions? Vilkas and Aela will go with you."

"Why should I feel uncomfortable? I mean, it's a search mission. It's not as if we're about to head straight into a battle or something, right?"

"No, you are not. But maybe you should read the letter again."

She furrowed her brow in confusion and read the letter silently once more. "I don't get it,"she looked up again. "What's wrong?"

"Lake Geir doesn't ring a bell to you?" he asked carefully.

"No...should it?" she replied warily.

Kodlak sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Of course, I mean, you were still so young. Probably you never heard the name of the lake. Lake Geir is located in the western part of the Rift. Not too far from Riften and Ivarstead."

Her eyes suddenly grew wide. "The...the Ruby Lake?"

He looked confused. "Ruby Lake? I never heard that name."

She put the letter aside. "That's how my...my father called it. Because the water shimmered ruby red in the evening sun." Memories flooded her mind of warm summer evenings when her father had taken her down to the lake which was just a short walk from the Honey-Dew farm. They sat in the grass and flicked pebbles over the water, fed the ducks or caught fishes which they then ate for dinner. Her mother had been such a gifted cook.

Suddenly she felt Kodlak's warm, calloused hand on hers and she snapped out of her memory. Just now she realized that a single tear had found its way down across her cheek. She brushed it away with the back of her free hand and looked at him with an almost apologetic smile. "I'm silly, I know. Letting memories get to me like that even after such a long time."

"No, Mia. Silly are those who ignore such feelings. Who bury those memories. Whatever you thought about was a happy memory. You smiled. And no matter how strong the loss of your parents still weighs your heart down, it should not gain so much power over you that you won't allow any good memory to come through and lighten your heart again. Love should always be stronger than sorrow and hate. I know how much you hate the people who did this to your family. And yet, here are the good people who caught you and gave you a warm, save and loving home after that."

"And I am thankful for that. I really am. And I think going on this mission will actually help me. To face my past. To put the hate to a rest. To let love and compassion be my best traits."

He chuckled softly and patted her hand. "Oh Mia. Those are your best traits already. Now, you just have to get rid of the hate."

* * *

 **If only that could be so easy, right?**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one might come just as quick as this one. But I cannot promise it, of course. Any questions or suggestions? Feel free to send a PM or write a review and I will get back to you then :)**


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